Apartment To Be
by dracotaro
Summary: Draco just temporarily moved in to a new apartment suite. Little did he know, an old schoolmate would be living right next to him. Granger x Malfoy. Dramione. AU. Alternate Universe.
1. Chapter 1

Hi!!! this is my very FIRST actual story ive written in years. I only used to write drabbles but I never seem to be consistent enough in finishing the story. Just trying to get this out there! I'm still inexperienced, but do believe that one person can improve through continuous learning and writing. Hope you enjoy this somehow! Please leave a review!!! It would really help to know what I can improve on. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. All rightfully belong to JK Rowling.

Long live Harry Potter!

Draco Malfoy x Hermione Granger

APARTMENT TO BE

Chapter One

If there's one thing Draco Malfoy dislikes, it is the feeling of not being confined into the solace of his lovely mansion back in London. The vast and spacious land was nothing compared to what he is standing now. It's cramped, bright, and the walls apparently lacks enough thickness to muffle any sounds coming in from the other tenants. The walls were so damn thin he's been consistently hearing the muffled sounds of television for the past hour. Obviously, it wasn't coming from his own room. Heck, the size of the whole apartment itself is comparable to their guest bathroom back home. How did he manage to downgrade into this mousehole? Theo surely does not know how to pick a proper place for someone to live in temporarily. The thought makes his blood boil.

"I ought to give him a call," he muttered to himself. He took out his phone, the latest of its kind, and dialed Theo Nott from his contacts. The bastard better have a prepared explanation as to why he chose him to stay in this shithole, even if for a while.

A couple of rings took place before he finally answered. Draco was about to give old Theo a tongue lashing when the bloke beat him to it.

"Woah! W-wait wait!" He shouted through the phone.

Draco scoffed. "Spill it, Theo."

"The apartment itself isn't so shitty, right? There's a nice breeze, here and there, and the neighbors sure are lovely! I've talked to some of them when I went to check the place out," Theo reasoned.

"Who cares about the neighbors Theo? I didn't come here to make friends! You know I was just here for a small work-related trip," Draco Malfoy was slowly losing his patience.

"Of course I know that _dear_ ," Theo said, mocking in a doting voice. "You asked me to book a damn place when you have 6 other house helpers and butlers back in your mansion! You do know that we're all busy with our working lives, right?"

"Yeah I know that. But you know how busy I am!" Draco argued through the phone. "And you know those people at my place aren't good with technology. I trust you enough to deal with the petty things and yet it's been shitty so far."

"Shitty? The embassy is a 5-minute walk from your apartment! And that's the maximum, given how slowly you walk as if you have all the time in the world," Theo said.

Draco was slightly impressed with Theo on that part. He was correct. The embassy was _so_ close he can see the building peek through his apartment window. But he still wasn't convinced. He should've just booked him a room at a nearby hotel.

"You know you could've just booked me to a hotel right?" Draco asked as if it was obvious.

"Yeah? Sure if you don't mind being 30 minutes away," the bloke said over the phone. "I know you Draco, you couldn't be bothered wasting your time spending a 30-minute ride every single day, back and forth. You're a busy man, didn't you say?" The tone at the last bit was mocking, and it made Draco scowl because Theo _knows_ him, and he was dead-on.

Theo sighed over the phone. "It's only going to be for a couple of days Draco. Despite the size, the room's not bad at all. There's even a small stove to cook home-cooked meals."

"I saw that. I'm not completely barbaric," Draco dead-panned.

"No, I meant eating out less. You're a really picky eater and it's really shameful sometimes," he said dramatically.

"Yeah, whatever. Thanks, I guess," but Draco knew he only slightly meant it. The place was clean and modern, sure, but this cramped place is for rats. The bed only fit him exactly, no more or no less, the shelves were extremely small, not to mention really low. Overall, this wasn't exactly made for him due to his build. His long, slender legs and arms are not going to have the best of time as he can barely stretch his body within the place.

Draco sighed. There's nothing he can do. Malfoys are not supposed to be big complainers. Or at least, he try to be. But in this situation, he can't really help but complain. What good will it do to his reputation when people find out that he's been staying at this dingy apartment? He didn't have any problems financially, so when he trusted Theo into finding a suitable place for him for a whole week, he assumed that his best friend would pick a place that agrees with his acquired taste of environment. He is a well-mannered boy raised in a mansion, after all. He was not supposed to dwell with the average, mundane situations when he is living much more capable than the majority of the population.

"Anything you're still unhappy about, besides the size?" Theo added.

"You mean _everything_?" He asked as if Theo Nott was indeed ludicrous for letting him stay here. Heck, Draco knows for sure that Theo himself would not even stay in a place like this. They practically grew up in the same well-bred manner. He was born into the wealthy culture—those who have wealth were taught to only deal with wealth as much as they could.

"There's a public park outside, just right next to the apartment building if it makes you feel any better," Theo knew the situation was already hopeless, but he can guarantee that the place itself was not bad at all.

"You know that parks are just for people with no private gardens, right?" Out of all people, Draco knew Theo would understand that best. And yet he still couldn't figure out why he chose this place to start with.

"Damn right I do," replied Theo. "Well, anyway, duty calls! Talk to you next time."

Before Draco can even say goodbye, with a click, the phone call was cut to an end. So much for an explanation.

Well, that's it. Guess he just has to live with it for a while. He didn't want to accept it, but this place was only temporary anyway. A couple of days in this shabby apartment won't do him any harm. Probably.

It was a Monday afternoon, 4 PM to be exact, and he just arrived from the airport through a taxi. He couldn't be bothered to commute or to rent a car and drive himself due to exhaustion. He might as well pass out on the bed right here and then if it wasn't for the fact that he still has to unpack his clothes and reading materials from his luggage.

 _This is going to be a really long week,_ he thought to himself as he sighed.

Draco woke up to the sound of incessant ringing elicited by his phone.

6:48 AM.

As he read the digits, he figured that the alarm has been ringing for some time now. He set an alarm at 6 AM and was supposedly to wake up by then. Last night, he slept as early as 7:30 PM so that really just goes to show how tired he is, or maybe the fact that he really is not a morning person. If it wasn't for his job, he swear to God he would be sleeping in every single day he can to his power. But things are different, and he has a job to attend to, so he mustered all his energy to make himself get out of bed and take a quick shower.

Draco Malfoy was privileged enough to be born into such wealth that he can choose not to work, and still have gargantuan amount of money that can last him his lifetime. He can be as carefree as he wants with his spending, and he never has to worry about being bankrupt because that's just how much the odds favor him. He was born into such a wealthy lineage that the concept of money is taken lightly for it is something that they know they will never run out of. Businesses, tycoons, entrepreneurs under the Malfoy name are under their works and even if the Malfoy's sit back and do absolutely nothing, the current of money goes in their way and they still proceed to earn more.

So why is Draco Malfoy working?

Because he simply wanted to. He didn't want to spend his lifetime rotting. He wanted to contribute to society and continuously learn. Draco got himself involved in foreign affairs and is working for the government. Through hard work, and some lowkey nepotism taking place, Draco made a title for himself as an esteemed diplomat representing London in various countries. It's a very rewarding job, honestly, because he gets to deal with serious issues and the position allows him to be able to help people not just in his country, but also internationally.

It didn't take much time before he got fully dressed and ready. As he buttoned up his polo, he opted to not wear a blazer and a tie in this slightly blazing heat. Neatly tucking in his cream long-sleeved top into his soft, dark blue slacks, he slightly fixed his belt and then proceeded into putting on his wrist watch. With everything seemingly ready, he took his charging phone off the socket and slid it in his back pocket, leaving behind the charger. Draco Malfoy took his briefcase, the apartment keys, and he was all set. Combing back his blonde locks with his fingers, he trudged down the door with a few steps and went outside the apartment without so much a glance of himself in the mirror.

Draco Malfoy dressed simply. Just like how a common government worker with style would dress. Yet, he exudes an aura that no other man can compare. With his genetically good looks, exquisitely expensive taste, Draco Malfoy shows everyone that he is on a whole other level without having it to say himself.

A fact that everyone he has socialized and spent time with throughout his lifetime can undoubtedly agree on: Draco Malfoy is untouchable.

Twisting the doorknob in order to make sure that the place was locked, Draco Malfoy walked towards the elevator. He could leave the door open and allow burglars to step inside the place for all he cares, but due to force of habit, he made sure that everything was alright. It was only a short walk from his apartment towards the elevator. He didn't consider taking the stairs for he was located at the 13th floor. Draco didn't want to break a sweat as early as 8 AM in the morning while being freshly out of the shower.

Pushing the down button, he patiently waited for the elevator to make its way up to his floor down from the ground floor. Waiting for a brief moment, the elevator finally arrived and he stepped in. The elevator was empty and he proceeded to push the close button. The doors started closing when suddenly, a female voice suddenly shouted.

"Wait! Wait!" The woman sounded frantic, and being the gentleman that he is, quickly countered the closing doors by pushing the open button. He got caught off by the sudden outburst in such a quiet hallway that he failed to realize for a moment who the woman that stepped inside the elevator and stood alongside with him was apparently someone he was very familiar with.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione Granger was late, and she was very much sure of it. The sun was already shining its way up to her face, as if shoving its rays to her saying that she needs to get her ass off of bed. And she did. She quickly did.

She ran and did her routine faster than she can imagine. It was only herself to blame. She got caught up on watching a comedic television series called Brooklyn Nine Nine about cops in day-to-day events in New York. It was a damn good show that gave her the laughs she needed in order to destress from work. She finished three seasons within one seating starting from the afternoon till midnight. Hermione was a lawyer and while watching how cops were portrayed in that show, she somehow felt connected and the funny moments got her completely hooked in.

Her tardiness was completely at her fault, but she'd say that it was worth it because she needed that time for herself and she completely got it.

As she bolted out of her apartment and making sure it's locked, she jogged towards the elevator and saw a young man enter. He was about to close the door when she shouted at him to wait and not close the door on her.

Hermione got in and when she did, she was completely out of breath. Sweat was building up around her temples and she quickly wiped it with the back of her wrists. Early in the morning and she's already running a god damn triathlon.

The elevator continued to go down and as she finally caught her breath, she realized that the elevator was empty except for her and the good-looking man beside her. She hasn't seen his face completely, but she can already tell that he's of the office-working class and he constantly gets swooned by female coworkers. She would too, honestly, until she noticed the blinding blonde hair with her peripheral vision. She turned fully to her side and was genuinely surprised to see an old schoolmate of hers, looking devilishly handsome and much taller than she is, Draco Malfoy.

Malfoy gave a small smile, "Good morning to you Granger."

"W-What.. oh yes," Hermione was taken a back. Out of all the places there is within this tiny ball of rock floating in space, she had to meet Malfoy in a freaking elevator? And she was running late, of all times! She was a scattered mess.

After trailing off, Hermione made eye contact with Draco's stormy gray eyes, as if expecting for her to say something else. _Say something damn it!_

"Good morning to you too," she finally added. He must've already known who she was, but he only greeted her when the thought finally sunk that she also recognizes him.

"Good to know that you haven't completely lost your manners," he bantered slightly.

 _Oh, so we're still in the same terms of how we left each other in high school? How mature._

"So you're still that same git from six years ago, huh?" She countered, slightly annoyed.

He gave a nonchalant shrug. The elevator gave a small 'ding' and they finally reached the ground floor. Both walking off at the same time, he said, "Not really, just striking up a conversation."

"I believe that a conversation starts with a 'how do you do' or something along the lines, if you haven't noticed," she said, keeping up with his long strides and walking together.

"How do you do, then?" Draco asked gallantly. Hermione wasn't sure if he was mocking her. She decided to ignore him.

They walked past the lobby and Hermione gave a small wave and smiled at Geoff, the guy at the counter. Draco noticed it.

"You've been here for a while?"

 _He can't take a hint, can he?_ "Not really, only for a couple of weeks. Something about work," Hermione answered. "And you?"

"Same thing, but only for a couple of days. Just arrived here yesterday," he answered conversationally.

After everything they've been through, all the blood-boiling insults and banters back in the days at school, this type of Draco Malfoy seems so foreign to her. All her life, she has this impression of him being a spoiled brat that only cares about himself and his riches. It seem slightly true, but the Draco Malfoy she's looking at now negates otherwise. They're so… _civil_ to each other. This is definitely something she's not used to, and it gives her the creeps that she actually thought of Malfoy as attractive at a first glance? Yikes. She ought to do better than that.

Hermione's musings were cut short when Draco said, "Looks like we're going in the same direction. Off to the embassy as well?"

"Yeah," she answered. Then, as if receiving an alert, Hermione remembered that she was running late. "Actually, I'm kind of in a rush. It's already 8:14 AM. Given that you're also going in the same direction, I assume that you also work there?"

"The time doesn't really matter does it? And yes, starting today, I'm working on a case assigned to me." He replied, not breaking eye contact.

Hermione was hooked. Those eyes were like the television series she just watched last night: completely fascinating. Although she cannot deny the fact that he was a complete asshole to her back in the day of their schooling. Indeed, he is an asshole, but he's the type of asshole that is nice to look at. Utterly deceiving.

 _Snap out of it!_ "I suppose the _oh so great_ Malfoy does not care about punctuality," Hermione scoffed. "Why would you? You already feel too important."

They passed by the public park and Draco can already see the Embassy building neatly situated right after one block. He got to hand it to Theo, he surely picked a place that was near.

"I suppose that's true, but we're only a few minutes late. It's not that much of a big deal," Draco said.

"If you haven't noticed, I was actually being sarcastic. You aren't actually that great."

"Well that's my take on your sarcasm," he replied. "But you still admit that I am still great somehow?" A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"You wish," she said, slightly defeated. _What are we?! Twelve? Why are we bantering like children?_

"I take it that you are a lawyer as well?" Hermione switched the topic into something more appropriate for their age. They need to start acting like adults or else Hermione will start to lose her internal battle and drown into his piercing gaze. He is _that_ attractive. What did this boy take in the past six years they haven't met? He glowed up from a snotty and snobby rich kid into the most handsome contestant in The Bachelor! Goodness.

They were now looming towards the building. _Finally,_ Hermione thought. She couldn't stand another second with him. He got her all muddled up and confused. Around him, she felt somewhere between the lines of anger, annoyance, nostalgia, and longing. Seeing an old colleague such as Draco Malfoy made her miss her best friends, Harry and Ron. Of all the people she could run in to, she runs into her high school arch nemesis that she didn't even want to see in the first place.

"A diplomat, actually." Draco corrected. "So a lawyer, eh, Granger? I always suspect you'd become one with your righteous little self with her nose always up on people's business."

"Excuse me?" Hermione was taken aback.

"Believe me, it was a compliment. It's hard keeping up with people these days, they run so wild. Lawyers sure are tough." He let out a small chuckle.

Before she can reply, they finally reached the building.

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways!" Hermione said cheerfully, almost _too_ cheerful. Draco noticed that she wanted to be out of his presence fast, but he paid no mind to it. Of course that would be the natural response.

Just as Hermione thought they would be finally parting ways, both of them went to the same direction _again_. To top it all off, both of them got inside the same elevator.

"What floor?" Draco asked politely.

Hermione wasn't used to Draco being such a gentleman. I guess time really does change people a lot, even if that kid was a brat and the idea of him changing deemed impossible. But he did.

"19th," was her curt reply.

Hermione waited for Draco to press in his floor number as well, but he didn't. _Oh god._

"Same floor, apparently," he said aloud his observation.

Hermione just gave out an awkward smile.

The ride up was completely silent, and Hermione was thankful that there were some people that got in later in the upper part of the building. The elevator started to get busy with its number of people.

Finally, after it seemed like ages, they finally got to their floor number. Hermione went out first and Draco followed short.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye then. See you around Malfoy," Hermione parted.

"See you around Granger," was his short reply.

Draco watched Hermione dart off towards the hallway and advance towards a small office with transparent glass. There was a profuse amount of paperwork on top of the table and he saw Hermione take an evident sigh as she placed her bag on a small desk and started rearranging the papers. He smirked. It was a long day for Granger.

Heading on to his way, he went into the same direction that Hermione went but further back towards the government officer's office. He needed to see what Kingsley assigned for him.

 _Today's a nice start, I guess,_ was all he thought as he walked past Granger's office and knocked on a door a couple of distance beside it.


	3. Chapter 3

Kingsley was interrupted from his work when he heard three rasp knocks on his door.

"Go in," he bellowed.

The door knob twisted and he looked up from his laptop— Draco Malfoy emerged from his doorway, his blonde hair and pale skin looking whiter than usual due to the sun.

"Jesus, kid, you need to go to the beach and get a tan," was all Kingsley could say upon inspection.

"Good morning to you too Sir," Draco greeted with a small smile.

Kingsley made an effort to check his wristwatch and squint his eyes, "Quite on time I see, around 25 minutes late." The gesture was exaggerated to make sure Draco felt guilty.

Malfoy let out a small laugh. "Sorry Kingsley, I went around sightseeing a bit to familiarize myself with the place and I got caught up with an old colleague."

"Oh pish posh. Hot shots like you have no respect for time, just like I did back in the old days," he reached to his side and took the folder on top of a neatly stacked pile papers.

"Here's all the legal matters regarding the case. It's human trafficking, to give you a small briefing," Kingsley said nonchalantly, obviously used to these cases, as he went back into his laptop and started typing.

"People sure are horrible," Draco commented as he perused through the folder. It was 17 children, all ages 12 to 16. His stomach churned at the sight. At the age of 16, he was living his best life travelling from one country to the other by his own will. These children, on the other hand, were abused and will still be abused once they set foot on international soil.

"I'll make sure to get them safe and sound back in London," Draco assured.

"I know you will," Kingsley agreed. "Work with Hermione Granger on this case. She knows all the legal pursuits regarding the situation and she can get you in on the inner findings smoothly. You know her?"

"Apparently, yes. She's the old colleague of mine that I've talked about and got held up with," Draco said with a small smile.

"The odds sure are in your favor, Draco. Now go and work on it. Knock on the door again if you've encountered problems, which I hope not," Kingsley was already dismissing him.

"Right away sir, no problem," was all Malfoy said as he went back out into the office hallway. He took one final glance into the folder and went to Hermione Granger's office.

—

Hermione was interrupted with her thoughts when she heard a knock on her glass door. This annoyed her. Her co-workers know very well not to disturb her especially when they see her face stuffed along with the stack of papers on her desk. That means she's letting her work juices flow and she is on a grind to finish these papers as fast as possible. _This ought to be important._

She looked up and was surprised to see Draco Malfoy standing by the door. She let out a small sigh and gestured for him to go inside. He let himself in and handed her the folder he was holding.

"Apparently Kingsley wanted me to work with you regarding this case," he said without so much of a preamble.

"Oh," was all she could say as Hermione scanned the contents of the folder. As she did, her faith towards humanity seemed to have lessened. _Damn these horrible, horrible people. They all deserve to rot in cages._

"Ready to bring these bastards to jail?"

Hermione couldn't agree more. This is why she took up Law. She wanted to fight for people who do not have the voice and capabilities to do so themselves. The world is a cruel place and the people taking in all the cruelty needs all the help they can get against the injustice. A lot of people needed help, and she can only do so much. But still, Hermione Granger is trying her best.

This mindset allowed her to rise through the ranks and defend various people of the accused and abused. Within a couple of years, she has made a name for herself as one of the most vicious and justice-seeking lawyers out there. She takes pride in her hard work.

Hermione and Draco worked all day trying to find loopholes, contacting witnesses, and coming up with defenses towards the case. With a couple of breaks from here and there, before Hermione and Draco knew it, it was already dark out.

Malfoy was the first one to break the silence that ensued an hour ago as they skimmed through copious amounts of paper readings.

"Granger, I think it's best to call it a day. Let's go," he neatly stacked all his remaining readings and put it in his desk. They worked at Hermione's office all day and Draco requested his own desk inside in order to work more diligently and to be able to separate tasks. He wouldn't be able to move further in his work if he didn't have a desk and chair to start with.

"Mhmm, it's only 11 PM, you can go on ahead," was all she said, her nose still stuck into one of her readings.

Draco let out a sigh. "Yes, that's the thing, it's _already_ 11 PM. We got a whole day to work on that tomorrow. Let's get going." He stood up from his seat and started packing his things. When he saw that Hermione was not moving from his spot, he frowned.

"Granger," Malfoy's tone was slightly authoritative.

This made Hermione look up. "What?" She snapped.

"Let's go," was all he said.

Hermione frowned at him. She was not pleased. "Am I some type of dog that you can order around? I already told you that you can go ahead!"

"But we live in the same building."

"And so?"

"Let's get going,"

This made Hermione furious. She already told him that he can go ahead! Why is he the one mad? Why does he feel to have the need to go home together? Can't he see that she was drowning in work?

"You stubborn log! Go away if you think it's late. I'm still not done! Stop interfering with my work," she snapped at him angrily.

Instead of listening to her, this made Malfoy do the opposite. "Are you completely daft? I told you to go away!" Hermione's tone was livid as Malfoy walked towards her desk. He loomed closer to her desk and when he positioned himself beside her, Hermione had to look up from her chair.

Draco didn't say anything. He was just staring at her intently, his blank gaze becoming more intense due to his unusual stormy gray eyes.

This made Hermione feel uncomfortable.

"What?" she spat.

"Let's go," was all he said, not breaking eye contact.

Hermione decided to ignore him. She tried to continue her readings but it was a futile effort. She can feel Malfoy's gaze boring through her skull. It made her uneasy. Heck, it made her so damn uncomfortable that she wasn't able to take it anymore.

She pushed her chair back and let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine!"

Draco smirked. He took his briefcase and headed towards the door, preoccupying himself with his smartphone. He was busily typing.

"Just give me a minute you annoying prat," Hermione said as she ruffled through her stuff and started shoving things into her workbag. Taking her phone that was placed above her desk, she look at Malfoy with a frown and said, "Let's go."

She walked past him and made sure that he wouldn't be able to keep up with her but that seemed impossible because a couple of strides later, they were walking together and was waiting for the elevator to arrive _together_.

First time seeing him in years and they spend the whole damn day together.


	4. Chapter 4

The ride at the elevator was eerily quiet. At the corner of her eye, Malfoy was still typing on his phone. Hermione internally scoffed. _If he was so busy then maybe we shouldn't have left this early._ She was used to leaving the office late at night— the fact that her temporary apartment was simply one block away, this only amplified her workaholic state and was consistent in going home late. In Hermione's defense, her house is _just_ one block away. She didn't need to be in such a rush.

Albeit yesterday was an exception. There wasn't anything much to do so she left the office pretty early in the afternoon. With that much free time, she spent it all on herself and now she's paying it back with the shitload amount of paperwork from her desk prior. Not to mention, she has to work with _Malfoy_ of all people. The air felt slightly suffocating back in her office because she wasn't used to having to interact with him that much. Their interaction this day equates to pretty much a week of seeing Malfoy back in their schooling. It was all too intolerable. And now, they're even walking together on the way back home! She can't believe she has to endure this for another couple of days. Hermione can't wait to immediately finish working on the case and both of them will separate and be off on their merry way in their own industry and field.

Hermione and Draco arrived at the ground floor and walked pass the lobby. Stepping through the towering revolving doors, her body felt an undeniable rush of chills as the cold breeze wafted through the air. It was excruciatingly hot during mornings, but once the sun sets, the air around the place becomes bitterly cold. _Damn these weathers._

Hermione shuddered at the air and the two of them ambled through the pavement. It was a peaceful night. She looked up and saw stars peeking through the clouds— she was always so fascinated by its alignment and brightness.

"How are you doing, Granger? What's going on with your life?" Hermione's appreciation for the stars was halted. What's this? _Draco Malfoy initiating a conversation?_ And he was being cordial! Oh dear, this was definitely something she's not used to.

"None of your business Malfoy," was all Hermione said as she looked straight forward. She wasn't in the mood to striking a small chit-chat with the person that used to loathe her guts just because she wasn't born into the same sumptuous lifestyle he had. She was different, and she was well aware of that fact because Draco made sure to remind her at every single chance that he gets.

Draco looked as if what she said ached. "No need to be so vitriolic," he assured. "Just here trying to reconnect and make friends, is all."

"Reconnect and make _friends?_ " Hermione's voice had a hint of shrillness into it. "As far as I know, that wasn't your intention back in the old days."

"I know, that's why I'm here trying to reconnect. Weren't you listening? Think of this as sort of a mini-penance for all the wrong-doings I've done to you back then." He sounded sincere.

Hermione only scoffed as a response. She was still unsure whether or not she should keep her defenses down around him.

"I'm Draco Malfoy, nice to meet you," he paused his steps and held out his right hand. "And you are?"

Hermione's track was also stopped short. She stared at his outstretched hand intently, and then back to his unfaltering gaze. She was confused, but also slightly amused. He looked a bit idiotic with his hand outstretched in the air like that. She let out a small chuckle. Guess she had no choice. _There's no loss in being gullible and friendly once in a while._

She accepted his outstretched hand and shook it firmly.

"Nice to meet you Draco Malfoy. I'm Hermione Granger," she let out a small laugh. "Well that was embarrassing."

"Not really," Draco replied with a shrug. "Now that we're all done with the formalities, any relationships, Granger? Married?"

Hermione felt a bit invaded with her privacy. What's with all the comfortable questions? "What is this, a job interview?"

"No then? How about a boyfriend?" Draco assumed, completely ignoring her previous question.

"Shut up Malfoy!"

She was getting slightly embarrassed but Draco kept on pressing. He enjoyed teasing her, that damned twat.

"What? Things didn't end up well with you and that Weasel?" Draco sounded genuinely surprised.

"What do you want me to say Malfoy?" They continued walking and they were now trudging through the public park.

"He wasn't up to my liking that much anyway. Half of the school already noticed that you don't look too happy while with him."

"And you think your opinion matters because?" Hermione inquired. Who does he think he is, making assumptions about their relationship? He didn't have a right, and yet, he was slightly dead on with what he said. This annoyed her.

"Any flings? Mutual understandings?"

No answer.

"Your lack of response is very telling Granger," Draco was evidently amused. His tone was minimally sarcastic with a hint of amusement.

"Sod off, Malfoy." Hermione was already slightly annoyed. No, scratch that. She was _already_ annoyed at him. His playful remarks only seemed to heighten her emotions and piss her off even more.

"Hmmmm," Draco mused as if in deep thought. "A girlfriend then?" He laughed.

"Oh shut up!" She gave him a slight push by the shoulder. Draco Malfoy looked physically wounded. That bastard sure goes through lengths to annoy her. "Ouch! You've injured me, Granger." Malfoy held his shoulder that Hermione lightly pushed. He was exaggerating, that damn drama queen. What is his intention anyway? _Where does he think he's heading at?_

Hermione only gave him a menacing stare. "You seem to be enjoying knowing too much about me. How about you then?" She queried.

"Single as a pringle, m'lady," he answered back, gesturing with his hands as if a gentleman escorting his partner.

"Good for you then," she said, her voice all too sarcastic. She doesn't know what to expect of him, everything he does seemed out of the blue. Hermione couldn't be more thankful when they finally arrived at their apartment building. Malfoy, being the gangly fellow he is, had no trouble keeping up with her despite her effort in walking a bit faster. Stepping inside the elevator, she pressed the button '13' encrypted at the elevator. Malfoy stepped in as well.

"Good ol' lucky number 13," he observed.

"Not really," she muttered under her breath.

"Really? What did you say, Granger?" He didn't seem too keen on stopping with his teasing soon.

Granger finally had the last straw. It was already midnight, and she didn't think she could handle any more of him any time soon.

"Okay, let's get things straight here Malfoy. What's your deal with me?" She said, her voice containing all seriousness.

"What do you mean what's my deal?" Malfoy asked, genuinely confused.

"I mean- _this!"_ Hermione's hand gestured towards the air, supposedly representing their situation. Malfoy only raised his eyebrows in response, waiting for her to say more. She looked a bit stressed and frantic, he had to give it to her.

"You weren't this friendly before! And now we run into each other and you act as if nothing happened!" she suddenly burst. "You act as if you didn't make my life completely miserable back in the day. If you haven't remembered, we hated each other's guts!"

"No wait," she thought back for a moment. " _You_ hated me!" she sneered.

 _Ouch,_ Draco felt that.

"You are not my friend so stop acting so familiar with me!"

There was a 'ding' that broke the silence. They have arrived at their floor.

Draco Malfoy heaved a heavy sigh as he motioned for her to step out of the elevator. When both of them finally stepped out, they stood to a stop and faced each other eye to eye. Hermione's stare was steady, ready to pounce at him any moment.

In the most sincere and genuine tone that he can muster, "I know, and I'm very sorry for acting like such a snobby brat for the past years. It was absolutely immature for me, but time has passed and things have changed." To the deepest bottom of his heart, God forbid this was very much unlike him, he truly meant it. "I was an asshole, but that doesn't mean that I still am now."

He held both of her shoulders, as if assuring her. "Give me a chance Granger," Hermione's acrimonious gaze started to falter. Draco gave her a small smile, trying to dispel the hostile aura between. Their rancorous relationship needed to come to an end.

"I'm not as bad as you think," he finished off.

Hermione looked away. He was incalculable. He was this absolutely horrendous kid that made her all messed up, thinking there was something wrong with her due to her upbringing, and then the next, he's the sincerest bastard in the world that has ever said sorry to her. Not even Ron's apology can hold a candle to Malfoy's, and he _cheated_ on her— that damned prick.

Her head has slightly cleared, and she only realized now their proximity between each other. Malfoy was really close to her as he firmly held her shoulders, waiting for a response. His scent entered her senses and she was greeted with an absolutely intoxicating aroma. _Damn, he smells good._ She knew it was not the time to be thinking about those things but she truly can't help it.

Gathering back her thoughts, she looked back at Malfoy, who was apparently still staring straight at her. _He surely knows how to hold his own gaze_. Hermione sighed. She couldn't help but agree. People change and as a lawyer, she should be the one most aware of that fact.

She slowly removed his hands on her shoulders and said, "Apology accepted, Malfoy. Are you happy?"

Hermione was shocked to see his face beaming with joy, a smile creeping up his lips. "More than you'll ever know."

She paid no heed and started walking towards her apartment. A couple of steps later, she finally arrived at her room and she realized that Malfoy was still following her. She stopped on her tracks and stood by the doorway. "Look, I know that we're kind of okay and all, but you don't have to go too far by escorting me back."

Draco pointed at the door next to hers, "I also live here."

Hermione's ears felt hot and she slightly turned red. She couldn't be more embarrassed.

"Neighbors then, eh?" He smirked as he fished his keys out of his pocket and opened the door.

"Goodnight, Granger."

So they're on greeting terms now, is that it? _He's just being polite. Get that damned head of yours out of your ass._ "G'night Malfoy," was all she said as she stepped inside her room and closed the door.

When Draco finally settled into his tiny mousehole, he couldn't help but be slightly amused at all the events that has ensued today.

 _Now I know what that prick Theo meant when he said about the neighbors being lovely._


	5. Chapter 5

With a new day within reach that is full of endless possibilities to seize, Hermione Granger made sure that she would not oversleep this morning. Turning off her alarm by the bedside table, she got out of bed and trod down across the room in order to heat up some water.

Her senses were craving for tea, but she knew that she needed coffee more in order to clear and wake up her clouded thoughts. She's got a whole day ahead of her— she needed that caffeine boost in order to take on the perilous world of politics.

Humming to herself, she went back to her bedside and started fixing the sheets. After making up the bed, Hermione headed towards the bathroom and immediately took a quick bath.

A few moments later, she emerged from the bathroom feeling fresh as a daisy. Despite the lack of sleep, having an easy and unrushed bath totally makes up for the few hours of sleep she missed. It's either she sleeps in and ends up rushing or the latter— it was never both. Hermione then proceeded to change clothing, settling on a pair of slacks and a simple short-sleeved button up shirt. She wasn't in the mood in being all conscious about her legs, she wanted to feel as relaxed as possible the whole day.

After changing, she began to pour the hot water into a mug quite larger than the normal. Tearing open the powdered packet of coffee, she put in a generous spoonful before giving it a good stir. Hermione got a good whiff of the aroma and she sighed in contentment. Positioning herself by the small table against the balcony, she made herself comfortable in the chair and took her first sip of morning coffee.

She let out a pleasurable 'ah' as she felt revived and invigorated, ready to take on the day. It's amazing how much a cup of liquid can do so much to your body and affect your whole day. Staring out the window, steaming mug in hand, her thoughts drifted off to the incident last night.

She felt a bit sorry for her sudden outburst. It was unreasonable, really, but her stress and lack of sleep only contributed to her crankiness that led to her and Malfoy ending on such bad terms. No, scratch that, she wouldn't really call it bad, seeing as she has forgiven him and they said goodnight and all, it was just kind of _awkward._

Hermione was debating whether or not to apologize.

A few sips and a bit of mooning later, she decided to say sorry to Malfoy the first thing when she arrives at work. The poor bloke was only trying to reconcile and was striving to make up for his shitty behavior back in the day. She didn't need to be such a sceptic bitch and make things harder for Draco. She wasn't the type of person that does that. Or so she thought. Last night's events really made her cringe, and she wished she could've done it differently to say the least. She really needed to control her outbursts for Christ sake.

Her dawdling was put to an abrupt stop when she heard someone knocking on her door.

 _What?_

This surprised her. She wasn't any expecting company for today— or for the rest of her stay in this apartment, for that matter. She didn't order anything from anyone, and she's quite sure she hasn't done anything too crazy that would annoy the neighbors and make them knock on her door. What could someone possibly need from her?

Standing up, Hermione felt a bit apprehensive as she walked towards the door. There wasn't any peephole that made the experience all too mysterious. Slowly twisting the knob, the suspense she felt trying to suspect who could possibly be knocking died down and was rather replaced with confusion.

Why was Malfoy standing outside of her door?

Hermione's expression must've looked to transparent because Draco gave a small smile.

 _This. This is the thing I'm telling him that I'm not used to. Malfoy, smiling? Where was that permanent scowl etched into his face?_

"Good morning Granger. Ready to go to work?" he asked, as if this was a _normal routine_.

Hermione straight up felt bemused. _Why is Malfoy standing in my doorway?_

Her tranquility from that morning coffee sip was completely thrown off the window when she got another whiff of that intoxicating scent. _God damn. That smells better than my coffee._

"Ready to what?" she sputtered.

"To work? Aren't you going?" he inquired.

"W-what? Who told you that we're supposed to go in together?"

"No one, really," he shrugged.

Hermione needed to make things clear with him. "Let's get things straight," she said, slightly opening the door a bit wider in order to fully face him. "Just because we're working together on the same investigation doesn't mean that we also have to be together outside of work grounds." _Isn't that obvious?_

"I know," was his nonchalant reply. "But it doesn't also mean that we can't."

She sighed. "You are impossible."

"I know," Draco smiled. "Let's get going?"

Hermione had no choice but to yield to his invitation. She had a feeling that no matter what she say to him will completely go over his head. Take last night for an example. Closing in the door on him and ignoring Malfoy would be a totally inappropriate response that she can never do, no matter how much she loathes a person.

Good thing she already finished her coffee, and she was pretty much done with her morning routine. "Give me a minute," was all she said as she collected her things. The situation gave her a feeling of déjà vu.

Stepping outside the door and locking up her place, they sauntered off towards the elevator. This was completely unusual of Malfoy, fetching her from her place and going together at work. She has to get used to his unpredictability or else her mind will end up in shambles trying to figure him out and what he'll choose to do next.

The ride down the elevator was quiet, and as much as Hermione wants to deny it, she felt an undeniable charm emanating from Malfoy. He was the absolute definition of a gentleman. The little things such as letting her go in and out first, pushing the buttons for her at the elevator and keeping his mindful distance to her. Not too far, but not too close as well. It wasn't much, but Hermione can't help but to compare him to Ron. He was very much he opposite and didn't care much about being thoughtful to the other party.

To top it all off, it was really chivalrous of him to going as far back as apologizing for his horrible behavior back in the day. Majority of individuals tend to forget all their wrongdoings to another person and rarely apologize to the other after years has gone by. As a lawyer, she knows. That's why it was slightly easy for her to let everything go and forgive him.


End file.
